Where should I nurse my baby at bedtime?
Nurse your baby in a comfortable chair in the room that your baby will sleep overnight. Try not to get in the habit of having your baby fall asleep completely while nursing. Instead, feed her until she is drowsy and then transfer her into the crib. It is common for newborns to fall asleep while feeding. If this happens, you can introduce a short activity between nursing and going to sleep such as burping him, rubbing his back, or even changing his pajamas. This helps to prevent needing to be fed to sleep in order to sleep at any time.
Once you set a consistent bedtime routine, consider making feeding the first step of the routine instead of the last to avoid associating feeding with falling asleep.
About Dr. Robyn Stremler
